My wife and I traveled aboard the Celebrity Infinity round-trip to Alaska inland departing from Seattle on July 18, 2008. In summary we had a great time and the cruise was a good value for what we paid. However, this cruise was far from a premium experience.
Embarkation and Debarkation This was the most pleasant embarkation and debarkation experience we have ever experienced. After arriving we fed our baggage into the luggage scanner, walked to the check-in area, through the metal detectors and onto the ship almost without stopping. The holdup was of all things the photographers at the ship which held up the line. We were onboard by noon and 3 of 4 bags were at our room by 2pm. Unfortunately, our 4th bag did not show up until 6pm. We used the "carry your own" baggage option to disembark from the ship and this was effortless.
Ship Condition I will be blunt, the Infinity is worn out and in need of a lot of minor renovation. The carpeting is worn and in several places it was peeling up. The railing on our stateroom balcony was really worn and generally across the ship I noticed that most if not all the stateroom railings were well worn. They need a good sanding and varnish. Rust was bountiful all over the ship including our balcony. The cushions in the Celebrity Theater were badly stained and in need of replacement. In the last three years I have been on the Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, and the Westerdam and the upkeep of this ship was poor compared to those.